Hollywood Must Confront Its Ugly Bias Against Christians

In the wake of sagging ratings for his once-proud L.A. Law, he has tried ev-erything from lesbian lovers to interracial intrigue to get America watching again. The verdict: not interested.

So this season, Bochco & Co. introduced the most shocking new story line of all as the venerable firm is invaded by - gasp! - a born-again Christian from Bob Jones University.

Jane Halliday is definitely not your typical TV Christian. Those looks! The prospective associate is gorgeous enough to stop the slimy Arnie Becker in his tracks. That resume! Harvard Law School, clerkship for a federal judge, two years in the Oklahoma City district attorney's office. Those convictions! When Arnie Becker propositions Halliday, she replies, "Please understand something - I don't believe in recreational sex ... I'm a virgin by choice and I will remain a virgin until the night of my wedding."

Do not adjust your set. NBC insists that the Jane Halliday character is for real. A press release included with advance copies of the premiere episode stressed that Halliday would not be portrayed as a born-again Christian one week and a nymphomaniac the next.

If Hollywood were ever tried for anti-Christian bias in a court of law, that press release could well be entered as the prosecution's Exhibit A. It's practically a guilty plea, an admission that a realistic portrayal of Christians is a departure from the norm.

In the just-released paperback edition of his book Hollywood vs. America, veteran critic Michael Medved spends 370 pages documenting that twisted norm. From Scripture-spouting murderers to repressed rapists, identifiably "Christian" characters on network TV or the big screen are an overwhelmingly nasty lot.

It's difficult to imagine the Sensitivity Police allowing such a consistently negative caricature of any other interest group. Witness Hollywood's backpedaling on artistic freedom in the wake of the gay community's protests over the negative portrayal of a bisexual character in the film Basic Instinct. Where, on the other hand, were the apologies for The Last Temptation of Christ, a mean-spirited mockery that offended millions of Christians?

The very fact that a Christian character on L.A. Law could generate such media interest is proof that Medved has correctly diagnosed Hollywood's allergies. Why should it be news that there's a genuine believer on prime-time TV? After all, in a recent poll by U.S. News & World Report, 56 percent of Americans said a closer relationship with God was their "greatest objective in life."

The fact is, outside the Hollywood hothouse, America is still an outwardly Christian nation. Out in the hinterlands, more than 40 percent of us ordinary Americans attend services every week and 78 percent of us pray regularly. Compare that to the 93 percent of TV's creative elite who have told pollsters that they "seldom or never attend religious services" and the 45 percent who have "no religious affiliation whatsoever."

Like the Chinese emperors in the fairy-tale world of the Forbidden City, Hollywood's creative royalty have grown inbred, aloof and completely out of touch with the peasants.

Is the sudden appearance of Jane Halliday on L.A. Law the start of a religious revival in Hollywood? A cynical attempt to resuscitate a dying show? An elaborate setup for yet another attack on Christianity?

The jury, as they say, is still out. The premiere episode was surprisingly candid in its portrayal of the hostility born-again Christians face. Ann Kelsey explains why she opposes hiring Halliday: "Because she's a member of the religious right."

"How would you feel if we were talking about a Jew?" Arnie Becker asks.

"Not the same thing," replies Kelsey.

Which pretty well sums up Hollywood's view of Christians: not the same as blacks, Latinos, Jews, Indians, foreigners, women, physically challenged, mentally retarded or sexually deviant. Not to be taken seriously. Not worthy of respect.

It's high time someone in Hollywood had the courage to introduce a capable, intelligent, attractive character who is also a committed Christian. My question is: Where are the other Jane Hallidays on prime time, at the movie theater or the video store?